Proposals due Monday, February 8, 2016
Objective
This grant is intended to support the design or redesign of courses in the humanities and social sciences that integrate established teaching methods with emerging digital methodologies in order to enrich student learning and engagement. Math, science, engineering, and management faculty interested in this grant should apply for the Technology Integration Grant. The grant is aligned with the University’s digital scholarship initiative, whereby teaching and research are enhanced, extended, or reconsidered through application of technology. These grants are competitive; thus submission of a proposal does not ensure an award. The stipend for 2016 Digital Course Design Grants is $4,000. Awards will be given for developing two kinds of courses for the 2016-17 academic year: (1) creating new courses that teach students how to use digital technologies and (2) modifying existing courses to include significant digital modules and projects. All funded projects will involve collaboration with an appropriate DP&S staff member.
Eligibility
Untenured and tenured faculty are eligible. Faculty cannot receive Course Design funding and FDC or summer start up funding concurrently. Faculty in the last year of an appointment are not eligible. One may apply for more than one type of scholarly development grant (e.g. FDC, Summer Research Session, or Jamie Hendry Sustainability Studies), or more than one type of curriculum development grant (e.g. FDC, CCC, or Jamie Hendry Sustainability Studies), with the understanding that each of these processes is competitive and that one will not receive funding for more than one of these grants in the same summer. Normally, proposals for summer activity occurring immediately preceding or immediately following a leave will be considered only after other submissions have been reviewed.
Application Guidelines
Please review your application carefully prior to submission. Applications that do not include all information requested below will not be considered. Potential applicants are required to consult with a DP&S staff member prior to finalizing the proposal. Address questions regarding expectations of the proposal to a DP&S staff member.
To apply for this grant, please submit the following information by Monday, February 8, 2016 using the online application form.
1. Fill in a Cover Sheet that asks for the following information:
- Title or short description of your course
- List of previous Bucknell grants applied for, including year of application and whether the proposal was funded
- List of any previous or upcoming sabbaticals or UTFLs
- List of other internal and/or external funding sources you currently have available, or for which you are applying
2. A Project Proposal, to be attached in .pdf format. Limit the body of the proposal to four single-spaced pages (12-point font, reasonable margins), although appendices may be included when appropriate. The proposal must include the following subsections:
- Project Description: Describe the content of the course as it is currently offered or will be offered. The description should include a description of the proposed practices and tool-use that will develop through this integrative redevelopment process.
- Rationale: Clearly identify the new or reconsidered learning objectives that receipt of the grant would support. Include a statement about how you will define learning objectives and assessment for your designed or redesigned course.
- Work Plan: Describe the amount of time that you will commit to the proposed course design project and outline a work plan that includes regular meetings with a DP&S staff member.
- Other Summer Professional Commitments: Your commitment to the course design project is essential to the success of the course. Include a description of your other summer professional commitments (summer teaching duties, summer chair duties, research projects, consulting obligations, independent study supervision, etc.) and the amount of your time each commitment is expected to take.
3. Chair’s letter of endorsement. As part of the application process, your department chair or program director will submit a letter of endorsement. To be helpful to the Selection Committee, the letter of endorsement should explain why the proposed course is significant and provide the Committee with a context within which to evaluate the proposals. Department chairs/Program directors who are themselves applying should ask a colleague to write this letter. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit the proposal to the chair/director (or faculty member writing this letter) at least five working days before the deadline so that s/he may write an informed letter of endorsement. Chairs/Directors will submit the letter no later than the proposal deadline.
Evaluation of Proposals
New courses must be authorized by appropriate curricular approvals. Particular attention will be paid to the creation of learning modules and assignment design that could be adapted, shared, or re-used in future semesters.
Proposals will be evaluated by the Faculty Development Committee, supported by DP&S representatives. In determining the merit of proposals, the Committee will consider first and foremost the quality of the proposal. The Committee will also consider time demands associated with other summer commitments and the impact those time demands may have on the ability to complete the course design within the two-month period.
Descriptive Assessment
Grant recipients are expected to teach this course in the 2016-2017 academic year and at least one more time within the 2017-2018 or 2018-2019 academic year.